Research and clinical guidelines increasingly support the provision of transgender healthcare in primary care settings. Evidence indicates that many aspects of transgender healthcare, particularly hormone therapy and routine monitoring, can be effectively managed by general practitioners with appropriate training and support.
The current model of restricting transgender healthcare to highly specialised centres creates significant barriers to access. Studies show this approach leads to lengthy waiting times and geographical inequities that negatively impact transgender people's health outcomes. Healthcare organisations worldwide, including the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, recognise that much of transgender healthcare involves routine medical management that falls well within the scope of primary care practice.
General practitioners already manage complex hormone therapies for various conditions, from diabetes to menopause, and research demonstrates they can safely provide transgender hormone therapy with appropriate guidelines and specialist backup when needed. The shared care model, where specialists provide initial assessment and ongoing consultation whilst GPs manage day-to-day care, has shown promising results in several healthcare systems.
Moving transgender healthcare into primary care would improve accessibility, reduce waiting times, and normalise these health needs within mainstream medicine. This approach recognises that transgender people, like all patients, deserve timely, local healthcare that treats their needs as part of routine medical practice rather than as exceptional circumstances requiring specialist intervention.